Great news!
We hit the 200 Power Stone goal last week.
So this week, you'll get 3 daily chapters. And remember, for every 200 Power Stones we get this week, we'll add another extra chapter to the daily total for next week.
If you want to read ahead and help us reach these goals even faster, you can find over 150 advanced chapters on my Patreon right now.
patreon.com/iLikeeMikee
Thanks for your support!
- - - - -
Chapter 118: Is this for fun?!
"You are dead!"
It was the usual death scene, followed by three large characters. At the same time, Sarah's words, filled with joy, echoed from the side.
"Is that all?"
Watching Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder, who had only lost a third of his health, Sarah couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Mike, sitting in front of the computer, was expressionless.
He had discovered that reality was very different from his imagination. He had imagined that rolling to dodge attacks and executing a shield parry would be perfect, just like in the demo from the online press conference.
But upon replaying it, he realized it was similar to fighting a useless person.
In front of the huge Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder, this encounter felt strangely oppressive.
Although he mentally tried to fight and retreat, conserving his stamina bar, the actual fight was pure panic.
Faced with Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder's, overhead attacks, he could only frantically mash the dodge button. And what was even more serious, he sometimes rolled too early, wasting his stamina bar and failing to avoid the damage.
As for a shield parry, the price was two elemental flasks, and it still hadn't worked.
Turning to look at the smiling Sarah next to him, Mike left his seat in silence, a smile plastered on his face.
"Your turn!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Sarah's smile froze.
With one life each, the two began to train with Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder.
During this time, Sarah dared to propose an idea: since Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder, was too oppressive in close-quarters combat, why not try ranged attacks? A class called Sorcerer came to mind. After creating a character and analyzing his skills, they found a Soul Arrow and a Great Soul Arrow.
The names sounded powerful.
The damage was actually very high; a single hit on Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder, could remove a small amount of health. Well... not to mention the accuracy, at least he had a lock-on button, but the cast bar was ridiculously slow! And despite his size, Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder, seemed a bit slow to attack.
But at a distance, his close-range effectiveness was incredibly high. A mountain-shattering jump slash and a quick, wide stride taught the sorcerer, who was casting a spell, what it meant to be in a close-quarters encounter with a warrior.
And now Sarah understood why this idiot, despite being a sorcerer, had given him a shortsword and a metal shield.
There was also a sorcerer character. While his fireball throwing animation was impressive, his cast was, like a sorcerer's, incredibly slow. He was also quite vulnerable, and was several times dispatched by a jump slash from Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder, while casting a fireball.
Sarah and Mike tried each class one by one and discovered that the Knight was the most effective. At least in terms of forgiveness, the Knight was much more likely to fail. His attack was also pretty good.
As for the burial gifts, the most useful at that moment were the ring that increased his health limit, the Goddess' Blessing that restored all health points, and the Black Flame Pot. The other items might be useful later, but for now they were completely useless for defeating Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder.
Furthermore, after suffering several deaths, they summarized some of the unique characteristics of Dark Souls.
In short: don't be greedy!
A crucial element in the game is the stamina bar. Without it, you are practically at the enemy's mercy. In the game, almost all actions consume stamina. Basic attacks, shield parries, running, rolling, and blocking consume it. If you deplete the stamina bar, it recharges much more slowly than before.
Therefore, it is crucial to master this rhythm when attacking. If you overextend and let your stamina bar run out, you will be vulnerable to the boss's counterattacks. As for the burial gifts, both players agreed on the Black Flame Pot. While it is difficult to hit Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder, one hit deals 120 damage instantly.
Starting with five Black Flame Pots, hitting them all and combining them with one or two basic attacks is equivalent to draining half of the Judge of Cinder's health from the board.
After numerous lessons from Gundyr, Sarah and Mike finally felt that they had found the correct strategy for the game: fight and retreat, make the most of their items, and maintain their stamina bar.
Faced with an attack that was difficult to dodge with a roll, he simply used his greatshield to block it. Finally, this time, with only one Black Flame Pot wasted, Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder, had half of his health drained. Mike still had three healing potions left.
"Victory is within reach! Keep going! Stay strong!" Sarah, watching from the side, was also a little excited.
"I know!" Mike replied, his gaze fixed on Gundyr's movements on the screen.
But the next instant, Gundyr, the game character, suddenly squatted down and remained motionless. To Mike's horror, a massive, unknown black mass of matter sprouted from Gundyr's body.
This black substance intertwined like fluid asphalt, forming something like vines. Finally, the vines spread and intertwined behind Gundyr, transforming into a dragon and serpent-like monster, with horns and claws.
Scarlet eyes stared at him. The transformed Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder, was even taller than before.
A second form! How on earth did the first boss have a second form?
Before Mike could react, the Man-Serpent in front of him attacked with a claw, instantly reducing his health by a third. Then, before Mike could get away to recharge, another attack wiped out his remaining health.
Clearly, after transforming into his second form, Gundyr's movements had changed, and his attacks were even more ferocious.
"Alex, you bastard... is this for people to play?"
"I was wondering why we only fought halfway through the game demo at the online press conference. This starting area boss has a second form!"
Mike's somewhat desperate scream echoed from inside the room. In short, he felt a little overwhelmed.
Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder, is one of the lower-ranking bosses in Dark Souls. In terms of difficulty, Gundyr doesn't even have a prominent position in Dark Souls; even some powerful monsters surpass him. His movements are very obvious, without sophisticated tricks.
This makes them easy to dodge and parry, hence the nickname "Gundyr, the Parry Master."
But for many novice players who have just started playing Souls-like games, this guy is undoubtedly a memorable existence. Because he's so difficult! With a heart full of blood, he wanted to contribute to the great cause of passing on the flames, but he ended up being lectured by the gatekeeper on his path, Mr. Gundyr. Who can bear it!
The only thing that gives players a little relief is that every time they visit the Crystal Lizard and Gundyr, the Judge of Cinder's, website, they can see, by the bloodstains on the ground, that there are still countless players in this world just as desperate as them.